Dems try to close the gap in state House

By
Chad Selweski, The Macomb Daily

Saturday, November 3, 2012

The Republicans hold a majority in the state House and within Macomb County’s nine-member delegation but those numbers could change on Tuesday due to a 2011 redistricting process that reshaped the Michigan political landscape.

With the GOP holding a 64-46 edge in the House after a big year in 2010, most political analysts doubt that the Democrats can gain the 10 seats needed to eliminate that gap. But Macomb County is playing a big role in the intense fight for control of the lower chamber of the Legislature.

Republicans currently hold a 5-4 edge in the county but two open seats in newly created districts could give the Democrats a partisan edge in the delegation and add to the state party’s hopes in Lansing. The Macomb races include four freshman GOP lawmakers seeking re-election for the first time.

The marquis race in the county – and one of the most hotly contested in the state – pits Henry Yanez, a Sterling Heights fireman and a Democratic Party activist against Sean Clark of Warren, a sales manager for a fire truck company and a rising star in the GOP.

The candidates are battling for an open seat in the newly drawn 25th District, which consists of the half of Sterling Heights east of Van Dyke, plus a few precincts in north Warren. That territory is considered a toss-up and the race is expected to be very close, with possibly several hundred thousand dollars spent by the two sides once it’s all over.

But a largely overlooked race is taking place in another newly drawn district, the 18th – St. Clair Shores and Eastpointe. Former state representative Sarah Roberts, a St. Clair Shores Democrat, surprised everyone when she filed for election just minutes before the May deadline. She had previously represented the Shores in the House for one term, 2009-10 before losing her re-election bid. She has previously worked for an environmental group and as the legislative director for the Economic Alliance for Michigan.

Her Republican opponent is Candice Rusie, a St. Clair Shores councilwoman who is active on a number of city boards and committees. An attorney, Rusie criticizes Roberts for accepting large amounts of donations from political action committees, or PACs. Rusie has chosen not to accept PAC money and to not seek endorsements, saying that both demean the election system.

Daniel Flamand, a Libertarian Party candidate, is also in the race.

Here is a rundown of the other House race in Macomb County:

• Republican Rep. Anthony Forlini, the former Harrison Township supervisor, faced a significantly revised 24th District as he campaigned for a second erm in the House. Forlini’s district still includes all of Harrison Township but it heads west, encompassing northern Clinton Township and a portion of southern Macomb Township. His opponent is first-time candidate Philip Kurczewski of Clinton Township, a mediator and former warehouse manager who is campaigning as a moderate, pragmatic Democrat.

• In the 30th District (Utica and southern Shelby Township), Jeff Farrington of Utica, the incumbent, has established himself as a legislative leader among House Republicans in his first term. He faces political newcomer Joseph Bogdan, a Democrat, who devotes part of his campaign website to congressional issues such as foreign policy, homeland security and immigration.

• Democratic Rep. Jon Switalski is the overwhelming favorite to defeat Republican Steve Klusek in the heavily Democratic 28th District (most of Warren and all of Center Line). Due to redistricting, Switalski successfully challenged a fellow Warren legislator, moderate Democratic Rep. Lesia Liss, in the August primary.

• Former Fraser mayor Marilyn Lane, a Democratic lawmaker seeking a second term, is butting heads with Republican challenger Lynn Evans, also of Fraser. Evans ran for this seat in 2010 but never made it past the Republican primary. James Miller, a perennial Libertarian Party candidate, is also in the race.

• In the radically redrawn 32nd District, GOP Rep. Andrea LaFontaine easily withstood a spirited primary election campaign challenge from Michael Shmina, a rematch of her 2010 race. On Tuesday, the freshman representative faces Democrat Sheri Smith who, like the incumbent, resides in St. Clair County’s Columbus Township. LaFontaine, daughter of Richmond Township Clerk Catherine LaFontaine, was forced to move when the district lines were redrawn. The 32nd District now consists of Chesterfield Township, New Baltimore and several St. Clair County townships. Smith is the special education coordinator for the Sanilac County Intermediate School District.

• In the 33rd District (northeast Macomb County), freshman Republican Rep. Ken Goike of Ray Township, appears to be cruising toward re-election against Democrat Martha O’Kray of Macomb Township. O’Kray is a retired educator who worked as a teacher, prinicipal and assistant superintendent of the Macomb Intermediate School District.

• In the 22nd District (Roseville and eastern Warren), Democratic Rep. Harold Haugh benefits from a heavily Democratic district in his race against Republican Art Blundell, also of Roseville, an engineer who favors more local control over school districts.

• In the 36th District (Washington and Bruce townships and most of Shelby Township) incumbent Republican Rep. Pete Lund of Shelby Township faces perennial candidate Robert Murphy of Romeo, a Democrat, who has run for this seat in the past as a Republican and as an independent.

For more information on the candidates, go online to projectvotesmart.org or 411Vote.org.